Wire or band gripping device



F6123, 1932. HARVEY 1,846,200

WIRE OR BAND GRIPPING DEVICE Filed March 17, 1930 INVENTOR.

B 7 (A ATTORNB S? Patented Feb. 23, 1932 PATENT OFFICE LEO M. HARVEY, OFLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA WIRE OB BAND GRIPPING DEVICE Application filedlatch 17, 1930. Seriai No. 436,507.

This invention relates to and has for an object the provision of animproved gripping device for holding metal bands particularly but notnecessarily of flat cross section in tension or in fixed positions fordifferent purposes, as for instance, in a box strapping machine whereinthe band is held in tension around a box or the like while the ends ofthe hand are tied or otherwise secured together.

An important feature of my invention is in the provision of a suitablymounted member having a gripping surface with teeth arrangedtransversely thereof with their edges 18 in a common plane anddiagonally disposed on said surface so to provide grooves between theteeth which are of gradually increasing width and depth from one to theother side of the gripping surface. My invention, therefore, isdistinguished from grippers having teeth with edges which are inclinedfrom one to the other ends.

Such a device is particularly useful for the purpose mentioned for thereason that the teeth being disposed at angles relative to each otherand the grooves being of increasing width and depth from one to theother side, provide means whereby dirt, grit, scrapings, and the like.may not accumulate in the grooves between the teeth and thereby renderthe gripper ineffective.

Other objects may appear as the description progresses. In theaccompanying drawings I have shown a preferred form of invention,subject to modification within the scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof.

In said drawings,

Fi g. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of a gripping member embodyingmy improvements.

Fig. 2 is a view of the same operatively mounted in a suitablesupporting device for engagement with a metal wire or band.

Fig. 3 is a bottom View of the gripping member and a sectional View ofthe supporting device therefor, as seen on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. l is a top plan view of the gripper a... at)

and supporting device on a substantially reduced scale.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section of the gripping member on line 5-5 ofF-i 2. i

My improvements may be embodied in any suitable form of gripping member,as at 1, and said member may be operatively supported in any form ofholder or supporting bracket, as at 2, so that the member 1 mayyieldably and frictionally engage a flat metal band, as at 3, for thepurpose of permitting the movement of the band 3 over the grippingsurface of the member 1 in a given direction, but preventing it frombeing moved in an opposite direction.

While I have shown a specific form of gripping member 1 and a suitableform of holder 2, it will be understood that the form of both of saiddevices maybe altered to meet different conditions. The device as shown,however, consists of an integrally formed member 1 made of steel andhardened and provided on one extremity with a ser rated gripping surface4. When the member 1 is pivotally mounted as shown in Fig. 2,

said member may be provided with a bore 5 adapted to receive a pin 6forming a fulcrum for the member 1. Said pin 6 may be sup* ported in thebracket or supporting mem- In the form of holder shown said pin issupported in the opposite and spaced portions 7 and 8 of a J-shapedbracket between which the member 1 is pivotally held. Said memher 1 mayhave an upwardly extended portion 9 with a bore 10 therein adapted toreceive a compression spring 11 whichis held in compression between theend of the borelO and a transverse portion 12 of member 2. The bracketalso has a horizontal portion 13 underlying the gripping surface 4 ofmember 1 and but slightly spaced therefrom so that the band or wire 3may beinserted between the gripping surface 4 and the portion 13 of thebracket.

The unit composed of the gripper 1 and the bracket. 2 may form a part ofany machine or mechanism wherein it is necessary to grip or hold metalwires or bands 3.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3, the

gripping surface 4 is composed of a series of transverse teeth 14, l letc., the operative edges of which are in a common plane and alternatewith a series of grooves 15, 15 etc. jacent teeth of the grippingsurface are disposed at acute angles to each other instead of in rightangular lines transversely of the gripping surface. Thus the grooves 15between the teeth are formed of gradually in creasing width and depthfrom one side of the gripper to the other.

Due to this peculiar arrangement of teeth and grooves in the grippingsurface of the member 1, I have found that the grooves will not cake upor fill with scrapings from the metal, grit, dirt, etc, which, whencombined with oil or grease, will ultimately ll grooves otherwise madeand-render the gripper practically useless. In my improved gripper thetendency of the foreign matter to accumulate in the grooves is reducedto a minimum, and the succeeding operations of the gripper will tend tomove any accumulatin matter in the grooves laterally where it will beexpelled from the open ends of the grooves at one or the other sides ofthe gripper. The teeth engage the band 3 thruout their entire lengthinstead of only at one or more points as when the teeth edges areinclined, and are ac cordingly of maximum efficiency for gripping theband 3.

The form of gripper described herein may be more readily cleaned than inother types of gripping devices. 7

Other advantages and benefits accruing from the use of my improvementswill be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

What I claim is: V r

1. A gripping device having a gripping surface formed of a plurality ofteeth dis-- posed at angles with respect to each other with their edgesin a common plane, and grooves alternating with said teeth of graduallyincreasing width from one to the other extremity thereof, said groovesand teeth being continuous from one to the other side of the grippingsurface.

2. A gripping devicehaving a gripping surface provided with a pluralityof teeth with their edges in a common plane and formed so that adjacentteeth are non-parallel relative to each other, and grooves alternatingwith said teeth of gradually increasing width from one to the otherextremity thereof, said grooves being open at the opposite sides of thegripping device.

3. A gripping device provided with a gripping surface having a pluralityof transversely disposed teeth with their edges in a substantiallycommon plane and angularly disposed with respect to each other.

4. A gripping deviceprovided with a gripping surface havinga pluralityof transversely disposed teeth'with their edges a substantially commonplane and" angularly The ad-' formed with respect to each other, andgrooves alternating with said teeth and open at their oppositeextremities, for the purpose described.

5. A gripping device provided with a gripping surface having a pluralityof transversely disposed teeth with their edges in a sub stantiallycommon plane and angularly formed with respect to each other, andgrooves alternating with said teeth and open at their oppositeextremities, said grooves being of gradually increasing width from oneto the other of the extremities thereof, for the purpose described.

6. A gripping device provided with a gripping surface having a pluralityof transversely disposed and'angularly formed teeth with their edges ina substantially common plane, and grooves alternating with said teethand open at their opposite extremities, said grooves being of graduallyincreasing width and depth from one to the other end thereof, for thepurpose described.

7. A grippingdevice provided with a griptransversely disposed thereonwith their edges in a common plane, and alternating grooves between'saidteeth, adjacent teeth being oppositely inclined from a transverse medianline between such pair of teeth, and

grooves alternating with said teeth and open at their opposite ends. I

8. A gripping device provided with a grip ping surface, and having aplurality of teeth transversely disposed thereon with their edges in acommon plane, and grooves between said teeth alternating with said teethand gradually increasing in width from one to the other sides of thegripping surface.

9. A gripping device provided with a gripping'surface, and having aplurality of teeth transversely disposed thereon with their edges in acommon plane, and alternating grooves between said teeth, said teethbeing formed with gradually increasing cross sectional areas from end toend thereof, and grooves alternating with said teeth and open at theiropposite ends, said grooves being of gradually increasing width anddepth from one to the other ends thereof.

10. A gripping device havinga gripping surface formed of a plurality ofteeth disposed transversely thereon with their edges in a common planeof gradually increasing cross section from one to the other end thereof,grooves alternating with said teeth of gradually increasing widthfromone to the other extremity thereof, said teeth and said groovesextending entirely across the gripping surface. 7

11. A gripping device having a. gripping surface formed ofa plurality ofteeth dis-- posed transversely thereon with their edges 111 a commonplane of gradually increasing cross section from one to-the other endthereping surface, and having a plurality of teeth 2..

of, grooves alternating with said teeth of gradually increasing widthfrom one to the other extremity thereof, and means for operablysupporting said gripping device relative to the work to be grippedthereby, said teeth and grooves corresponding in length to the width ofthe gripping surface.

12. A gripping device having a gripping surface formed of a plurality ofteeth disposed transversely thereon with their edges in a common planeof gradually increasing cross section from one to the other end thereof,grooves alternating with said teeth of gradually increasing width fromone to the other extremity thereof, said teeth and said grooves beingcontinuous from one to the other side of the gripping surface, means foroperably supporting said gripping device relativeto the 'WOlk to begripped thereby, and means for yieldahly holding the gripping device inengagement with the work whereby the work may be moved in one directionand may not he moved in another direction relative to the grippingdevice.

13. A gripping device provided with a gripping surface, and having aplurality of teeth transversely disposed thereon with their edges in acommon plane, and grooves between said teeth alternating with said teethand gradually increasing in depth from one to the other side of thegripping surface.

14. A gripping device provided with a gripping surface, and having aplurality of teeth transversely disposed thereon with their edges in acommon plane, and grooves between said teeth alternating with said teethand gradually increasing in depth and width from one to the other sideof the gripping surface.

LEO M. HARVEY.

